University of Michigan

That's the largest fundraising goal ever for an American public university, and university officials say $1.7 billion has already been raised during what they call a two-year "silent" phase. Included in that $1.7 billion are several high-profile donations from alumni like Stephen Ross and President Mary Sue Coleman herself.

No doubt about it — heads are sure to collide on Saturday’s football game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

But when heads collide on the field at Spartan Stadium, two neurologists will be on the sidelines, making sure no concussed player gets back in the game.

Both Jeff Kutcher, an associate professor of neurology at Michigan’s medical school, and David Kaufman, the chairman of the neurology department at Michigan State, will be working on the field for Saturday’s game.

According to the New York Times, while many Big Ten schools have medical consultants for their athletic teams, only Michigan and Michigan State keep them on the sidelines at all games.

Americans are less optimistic about the economy in the wake of the partial government shutdown earlier this month.

That information is coming from the University of Michigan’s "Index of Consumer Sentiment", which measures how confident consumers are in their economy.

Experts say the latest drop in consumer sentiment may impact the holiday shopping season.

From the Associated Press:

Marching bands around the nation, be warned. Ohio State has taken it up a notch.

Scroll to 4:12 to see Michael Jackson take shape, and then... moonwalk!

It shows what you can do with 230+ band members - or "pixels" for those in the stands.

It's cool and all, but Michigan has a jet pack guy!

(H/T HuffPo Detroit)

That's George Gershwin himself at the piano, playing his 1924 composition "Rhapsody in Blue."

As important as George Gershwin and his brother Ira are to the history of American music, there has never been a definitive edition of their joint body of work.

That is about to change.

The entire music world sat up and took great notice of the announcement that the Gershwin family and the University of Michigan have formed a partnership called "The Gershwin Initiative" that will ultimately bring Gershwin's music to students and audiences around the world.

Mark Clague is Associate Professor of Musicology at the U of M School of Music, Theatre and Dance, and he will be the editor-in-chief of the George and Ira Gershwin Critical Edition. He joined us today.

Listen to the full interview above.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - The University of Michigan says its financial position is looking pretty good, with a three-quarter-billion-dollar increase in its net worth in the latest year.

The university's financial report released last week shows that the Ann Arbor school's net holdings stand at $11.5 billion. That's up $730 million from a year earlier.

The report says the school's investments have done well in a decade that includes the nation's worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Tomorrow morning, one of Michigan’s oldest traditions will be on display. No, not at the Big House, but at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house.

That’s where they’ve played something they call The Mudbowl every year since 1933, the same season Jerry Ford played center for the national champion Wolverines, and Columbia University won the Rose Bowl.

For the second time in a decade, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether Michigan’s university admissions policies are constitutional.

Ten years ago, the challenge was to the University of Michigan’s use of affirmative action to ensure diversity on campus.

Today, civil rights groups will argue against the state’s voter-approved ban on affirmative action.

Jennifer Gratz was here in Washington a decade ago.

It was a gift — with a capital "G."

Real estate developer and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross made big headlines last month with an eye-popping $200-million gift to the University of Michigan.

The donation is earmarked for the university's athletic department and the business school that already bears the name of Stephen Ross from an earlier gift of $113 million.

Engineering researchers at the University of Michigan are trying to figure out how radiation damages the different materials used to make nuclear power plants.

There are roughly 100  nuclear power plants in the U.S., and most of them are getting old. Researchers want to figure out how long the reactors can hold up in such harsh environments over time.

Imagine for a moment, you’re a student at the University of Michigan. A music student. And you compose a piece and suddenly find a major orchestra decides to perform your work. Kind of a dream come true, huh?

Well, that’s the reality Patrick Harlin is living. He is working on his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at U of M, and his composition “Rapture” will be performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra later this month.

Patrick Harlin joined us today.

Listen to the full interview above.

The MacArthur Foundation has announced its “genius grants.” Twenty-four people who the Foundation want to recognize as exceptionally creative individuals who already have a track record of achievement and the potential for even more significant contributions in the future.

One of those 24 is Susan Murphy, a Professor of Statistics at the University of Michigan.

She joined us today to talk about her work and how she plans on using the money.

Listen to the full interview above.

So, whatever happened to moderates in politics? It seems everyone is an ideologue and "compromise" is a dirty word. On today's show, we talked to a former Republican leader who says the disappearance of the moderate is becoming a real problem in his party.

And, we talked with a "genius."

The MacArther Foundation has announced this year's "genius grants," and one of the 24 who has been recognized as an exceptionally creative individual is from the University of Michigan.

And, the new Common Core Curriculum does not require that kids learn cursive, but is that really what is best?

Also, shoplifting is now a felony in Michigan. What does this mean for consumers and shop owners?

And, a music student at the University of Michigan will have his work performed by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. We talked to him about his piece.

First on the show, the Michigan Legislature is considering bills that would overhaul auto insurance in the state.

There are several aspects to this. Jake Neher with Michigan Public Radio Network joined us today to help us wade through what has been proposed. 

The clock is ticking closer to a federal government shutdown.

Spokespeople for several Michigan universities say they're waiting to see what kind of an effect a federal government shutdown may have on their institutions.

Michigan’s universities and colleges get hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government every year.

But it’s unclear how much, if any, of that money will actually be held up if the government does shut down.  

This spring the President of the University of Michigan, Mary Sue Coleman, announced she is leaving that post .

The U of M Board of Regents appointed a Presidential Search Advisory Committee this summer and this time it does not include a student.

Matt Nolan is an attorney and the director of Dow Corning’s Political Action Committee. He is the former Michigan Student Assembly president.  And he sat on the search advisory committee that chose Coleman to be President.

In fact, most searches for president of a major university includes a student representative.

The seven people on the Committee are faculty members, although some of them also hold administrative positions.  What are they going to be missing that a student might notice during a search like this?

Listen to the interview above to hear the answer.

ANN ARBOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - The University of Michigan has agreed to sell 51 acres of vacant land to NSF International for $3.5 million.

The school's eight-member board of regents unanimously approved the sale during a meeting this past week.

The Ann Arbor News reports officials expect to close the sale by the end of October.

The site is in Washtenaw County's Ann Arbor Township. The university plans to retain mineral rights in the sale and to have first opportunity to buy the property if NSF decides to sell.

Michigan Stadium will be full of college students this weekend. But these students aren't watching a football game -- they're hackers.

A University of Michigan group called MHacks is sponsoring a 36-hour hackathon. It's a competition that challenges participants to use technology to create inventions that solve modern problems.

Thomas Erdmann is a junior at Michigan and the president of MHacks. He says the word hacking gets a bad rap. Erdmann says the hackathon represents what the word hacking really means to engineers.

The new fall semester at the University of Michigan is bringing significant change.

Earlier this summer, the U of M Board of Regents said “yes” to offering in-state tuition to undocumented students as long as they meet certain criteria. All military will be allowed to pay in-state tuition, active, reserve, and honorably discharged, as well.

The vote was watched closely by advocates for young people who were brought into this country as undocumented immigrants. On such advocate is Serena Davila. Davila is the Executive Director for Legislative Affairs for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Cyndy Canty, host of Stateside, spoke with Davila about the change in tuition.

Listen to the full interview above.

More than 1,500 works of art, with more than 160 venues, and 47 countries represented. Those are just a few statistics of this year's ArtPrize in Grand Rapids opening today with some 400,000 expected visitors to the city. Michigan Radio's Lindsey Smith was on the scene, and we spoke to her as well as the new Executive Director of ArtPrize.

And, Congressman Justin Amash has decided not to run for U.S. senate. What does this decision mean for the rest of the candidates?

The University of Michigan announced earlier that they will now offer in-state tuition to undocumented students. We talked with Serena Davila, the executive director for Legislative Affairs for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, about what this means for the students.

Also, how well are health care systems in the U.S. working? A new report by the Commonwealth Fund gave us some answers.

And, the small town of Colon in southwest Michigan has been dubbed the “Magic Capital of the World.” We spoke with one resident to find out why that is.

First on the show, our weekly check-in with Detroit News Business Columnist Daniel Howes. And, on the front-burner? The mediation talks between Detroit's Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and dozens and dozens of lawyers representing the city's creditors. Howes joined us to tell us more about the mediation.

DETROIT (AP) - An ex-attorney for the state of Michigan who was fired after expressing hostility toward a gay University of Michigan student government president has lost a defamation lawsuit against another lawyer.

Detroit federal Judge Arthur Tarnow on Tuesday said Deborah Gordon's comments about Andrew Shirvell were either true or opinions and showed no malice. He dismissed the case.

Gordon called Shirvell a "rebel without a clue," among other things.

Shirvell says the ruling "reeks of hypocrisy and a double-standard."